Anarkali (girl)

Anarkali (meaning Pomegranate blossom) was the name of a legendary dancing girl. She is said to have lived in Lahore (now in Pakistan) in the time of the Mughal Emperor Akbar. She fell in love with prince Selim (who later became the Emperor Jahangir) but was punished by his father, Akbar. She is supposed to have died in Lahore and it is said her grave is also there. The famous Anarkali Bazaar in Lahore was named after her.

A painting of Anarkali from the cover of the 1922 play by Imtiaz Ali Taj

In literature and film

• The famous Urdu play Anarkali (1922) by writer Imtiaz Ali Taj is about the love story of Anarkali and Selim.

• A number of movies or films have been made about her, in both Bollywood (in India) and Lollywood (in Pakistan). The most famous is probably Mughal-i-Azam (1960).